Tom Selleck's Real Name: Thomas William Selleck

Quick answer: Tom Selleck was born Thomas William Selleck on January 29, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan. He starred as Thomas Magnum on Magnum, P.I. (1980–88) and as police commissioner Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods (2010–24). He had to turn down Indiana Jones because of his Magnum contract (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his name in full as Thomas William Selleck. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Selleck, Tom, 1945-," with the cross-reference "Selleck, Thomas William, 1945-," and a citation reading "Tom Selleck; Thomas William Selleck; actor, producer; born January 29, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan, USA."

According to Britannica, he is the second of four children of Martha (née Jagger) Selleck and Robert Dean Selleck, a real estate investor and executive. In 1948 the family moved to Sherman Oaks, California. He excelled at basketball in high school in Van Nuys, turned down a scholarship from Montana State, and transferred to the University of Southern California, where he studied business administration and played on the basketball team. A theater history course he took for "an easy A" led his professor to recommend him to an agent.

In 1967 friends urged him to appear on The Dating Game. He was not picked, but the appearance led to a Pepsi commercial and a place in Twentieth Century Fox's new-talent program. He served in the National Guard from 1967 to 1973, rising to sergeant.

Career highlights

Selleck had a recurring role on The Young and the Restless (1974–75) and guest parts on Charlie's Angels and The Rockford Files. The Sacketts (1979) brought wider notice. His breakthrough came in 1980 as the title character of Magnum, P.I., a private investigator on Oahu. The show ranked in the top 20 for its first five seasons, and he won an Emmy in 1984 and a Golden Globe the next year.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas offered him Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but CBS would not release him from his contract. Harrison Ford took the role. Selleck starred in Three Men and a Baby (1987), Quigley Down Under (1990), and Mr. Baseball (1992). He earned an Emmy nomination as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends. From 2005 to 2015 he played police chief Jesse Stone in nine TV movies, which he also executive produced. Blue Bloods ran 14 seasons on CBS.

He was married to Jacqueline Ray from 1971 to 1982 and adopted her son, Kevin. In 1987 he married actress Jillie Mack; they have a daughter, Hannah.

Name notes for searchers

Tom is short for Thomas, and William is his middle name. He has always been credited as Tom Selleck. His Magnum character shared his first name, Thomas, but not his surname.